Hypoxic respiratory
failure (HRF)

When your newborn can’t breathe

Every year, there are thousands of newborns who, due to illness
or being born a little too soon, have trouble breathing.1 Because
breathing complications can be serious, your baby may require a long course
of treatment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). For more information
about the NICU and caring for your baby, visit the March
of Dimes.

Seeing your baby in the NICU with all the monitors and devices may be
upsetting, but know that the treatments he or she receives are important
and necessary to help your baby breathe. For babies with hypoxic respiratory
failure, NICU care can help them survive.

What is HRF?

Hypoxic respiratory failure, also known as HRF, is a
condition that occurs when the cells in the body are unable to receive
enough oxygen. HRF is a serious condition for newborn infants.1,2

Why lungs don’t function properly

There are several reasons why a newborn baby’s lungs may not function
as they should. Air may not fill the lungs or pass from the lungs
into the bloodstream. When a newborn is not getting enough oxygen, HRF
can result.3,4 Causes of poor lung function include:

Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), which occurs most frequently in
infants born six or more weeks early whose lungs have not fully developed5

Meconium aspiration, which occurs when an infant, during or before
delivery, inhales amniotic fluid that has been contaminated by a bowel
movement1,6

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a defect in the diaphragm that impacts
lung formation3

Pneumonia or sepsis; inflammation of the lungs or an infection3,4

Pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure in the lungs, which
occurs when blood vessels in the lungs are constricted.7,8 Pulmonary
hypertension can be present with any of the conditions above